1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package of mechanical pencil refill leads.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, mechanical pencil refill leads were contained in generally tubular containers each having an open end openably closed by a cap. Each time when a mechanical pencil becomes empty, a required number of the refill leads was discharged from the container and introduced into the mechanical pencil. The refilling operation was troublesome and tended not only to soil the operator's fingers but also to cause break and/or dropping of the leads.
In order to eliminate the shortcomings of the prior art refill lead container discussed above, there has been deviced refill lead cartridges each comprising a container and a batch of refill leads housed therein. The cartridge is adapted to be inserted into a lead barrel of a mechanical pencil with one end of the cartridge being open so that the leads are successively fed from the cartridge to the writing tip of the pencil. This type of refill lead container, however, has a shortcoming that the size of the container is limited by the size of the lead barrel of mechanical pencils which are designed for use with the cartridges. Thus, a cartridge becomes empty in a relatively short period of time and, accordingly, cartridges must be frequently replaced. In addition, because a mechanical pencil is refilled with leads only after the leads in a cartridge in the pencil have all been spent, a trouble is encountered that the pencil becomes empty suddenly or unexpectedly.